I don't mind paying for my hunting/fishing license each year: at least a portion of the fees go toward conservation.

What irks me is the multiple linear feet of waterproof paper that then has to be folded up and tucked into a license holder, somehow: license, catch records, turkey, deer and elk tags, etc. what a wad.

There's got to be a simpler way...like a credit card that can be swiped, revealing what the hunter/angler has purchased. Anyone know if this is done elsewhere?

All I need is a conservation license. It is on Waterproof paper and is about 8" long. I fold it about four times and it fits in my wallet. About the only time I take it out is at the beginning of the next years time when I buy a new one.

In 7 years of fishing here in Montana I have only been asked once to show it.

I know, I know. It's not Washington. But it used to be that way, before they all got greedy.

This is a serious pet peeve of mine. Bought a recycled waders wallet to carry it all in. And now the Discovery Pass is required at more and more locations it seems.

Last week I fished Roses Lk near Chelan. There is a launch on the lake that required a Discovery Pass. Are these passes not only for State Parks? I havE the D. pass but still wonder if the State has changed the rules a bit in order to sell more of these parking passes.

Yeah, I remember buying my Washington saltwater license and it was ridiculous- looked like a receipt from Costco, which I don't shop at.
Up here in BC, we just go online, fill out our info and click on what we want (annual license, freshwater salmon and a steelhead tag). Print it out on computer paper and I fold it up into a ziplock bag. Fits in my chest pack and I just leave it there for the season.
I can't remember how old I was when I started fishing, but in at least 20-something years, I've never been asked for it or checked. Ever.

I can still remember when I first fished in Washington state. All you needed back in the olden days was a fishing license. You could then fish anyplace you wanted to. Boy, things have sure changed. Now you almost need a pass to fart. Steelhead and salmon punch cards were free.

It's the same deal in Oregon. You get a crummy receipt that is kind'a water resistant but not really. The salmon/steelhead tag is separate so you need to fold a weird-ass origami thing to get both the fishing license and tag to fit in your wallet. For the price we pay for the license and tag , I'd like something a little more substantial than a cash register receipt.

And yup, they've recently started requiring another receipt for parking at specific fisheries.

I hear ya. It took for what seemed like forever for WA to finally adopt the electronic licensing system. Hell, they had them in MT, ID and Utah for many years before WA got on board -- a 6-8 inch length of paper. Then, stopping at the Cle Elum hardware store one season to renew my license, in route to Lenice, I watch the machine spit-out what looked to be 30" of paper...thought the clerk had screwed something up or the machine had malfunctioned. Nope, 16 folds later, he had it all stuffed into a pouch. He too was shaking his head and we were both probably thinking the same thing... leave it to the state of WA to take a simple idea and improve it.

Here's a blast from the past. Before the forest fire drew attention to Yellowstone National Park, the price of a fishing license for the park was.....

wait for it.....

Nothing!

The only requirement was that you signed a document that indicated you read the fishing regulations and they gave you the fishing license. That certainly isn't the case today.

I remember the retailers in West Yellowstone tossing a fit about the fire and claiming their business was ruined. Ironically, the numbers of those who visited the park shot up after the fire, so if anything, the fire increased the retailers business instead of reducing it.

It was after the fire and when the number of visitors increased that the feds started charging for the fishing license. Odd how that worked.

The amount of crap including passes and licenses stored in my glove box meant it never shut well. I must have snapped the hinge slamming it shut sometime in the last year, so for the last three months it pops open going over a speed bump, driveway, rail line etc. So I locked it shut. Then when i tried to unlock it to get at something I needed, it wouldn't open. Took it to the dealer, they wanted 250 and labor to fix it, which would require an all new glovebox etc. I went home, took the mini-crowbar out, popped the whole door off and am now glovebox free. There's a little shelf in there and alls you can see is discovery and wdfw passses and the car book that came with vehicle. Plus there's more legroom.